Serena Williams had a bad day.

It wasn’t enough that Samantha Stosur, the plucky Australian No. 9 seed in this year’s U.S. Open, was demolishing her on the court, Williams decided to add a little flair.

Coming off a life-threatening injury, she was mercifully given a 29th seed. And ties not often that you see a 29th seed bring her game all of the way to the finals. But if it was "flair" the tournament was looking for, Williams didn’t disappoint. Outside of Maria Sharapova and Serena's sister Venus, there is not a better draw in woman’s tennis -- perhaps in all of woman’s sports.

So, as the world turned in the U.S. Open finals this year, with Stosur up a set, Williams found herself in a 30-40 hole. After a crisp serve down the middle, Williams blasted a crosscourt forehand, yelling a spirited "come on!" as the Flushing Meadows crown roared in approval. The roar quickly turned to whistles and jeers as Williams was issued a code violation by chair umpire Eva Asderaki, giving the point and the game to Stosur.

"I don't understand," Williams said, approaching the chair.

Well, in tennis, there is a thing called the "hindrance" rule. Simply put, it means you’re not allowed to yell and scream in a way that could, theoretically, cause your opponent to mess up. It’s the tennis equivalent of saying "Noonan" in golf or "drop it!" in baseball. It’s like a foul in basketball, except a lot more serious.

And I’ve never seen it called in a match not featuring the names Serena Williams, Jimmy Connors or John McEnroe.

"Aren't you the one who screwed me over the last time I was here? You have it out for me?" Williams asked.

She'd have to be a bit more specific. She foot-faulted in the U.S. Open semifinals, threatened to kill the line judge and lost the match on a code violation. She is however credited with the institution of instant replay after a 2004 match against Jennifer Capriati, the match Williams was referring to.

During the changeover, Williams delivered this gem to Asderaki (and yes, she gave her the hand):

"If you ever see me walking down the hall, look the other way, because you're out of control," Williams said. "You're a hater, and you're just unattractive inside. ... Give me a code violation because I expressed my emotion? We're in America last time I checked. ... Really, don't even look at me, don't look my way."

Ratings were up 121 percent for this year’s final, so in this case, Serena, it looks like we’re keeping a lookout anyway.